Chapter 31: Luring the Old Fox into the Trap

“Have you paid off the debt from last time?”
“Yes, I have. Thanks to your help, brother-in-law. If it weren’t for you, those people would’ve chopped off my arm for sure!”
Wu Qingshan spoke with lingering fear.
“Have you been drinking with those people lately?” Jiang Chen continued.
“I’ve been busy brewing wine and taking care of business, so I haven’t gone out.”
Seeing Wu Qingshan so focused and diligent, Jiang Chen felt gratified. After all, this was his brother-in-law, someone he intended to entrust with greater responsibilities in the future.
He handed Wu Qingshan some silver, clapped his shoulder, and said, “You’ve been working hard lately. It’s time to relax a bit, and spread some word while you’re at it.”
Wu Qingshan immediately became excited. He remembered the last time Jiang Chen had asked him to do this, and it had resulted in something very important.
He had deliberately let slip at the wine table that Lin Lidong from the Lin family was involved with the widow Qiao Jiaojiao from Willow Alley outside the East Gate. At the time, it was nothing more than an attempt to stir up rumors.
But unexpectedly, the matter had yielded surprising results. Lin Lidong truly was having an affair with Qiao Jiaojiao, and the relationship between Lin Yuanzhou and Qiao Jiaojiao was already common knowledge.
This triggered a full-blown conflict between Lin Lidong and Lin Yuanzhou, leading to open and secret strife, and neither had the leisure to interfere with the business of Drunken Immortal Tavern.
Jiang Chen intended to repeat the trick, but this time, the target was not the two prodigals of the Lin family, but the city’s wealthiest merchant, Zhao He.
“Do you remember what I just told you?” Jiang Chen confirmed once more.
“Yes, no problem. Leave it to me.”
Wu Qingshan, familiar with the routine, headed straight for the tavern. Though Drunken Immortal Tavern served no wine, the small inns scattered throughout the city were lively and bustling.
“Waiter, bring some wine!”
“How have all you brothers been? Today, Wu Qingshan is treating!”
With silver in his pocket, Wu Qingshan spoke with confidence, and his usual gang of friends quickly gathered around him, drawn by the promise of drink.
“Brother, where have you been making your fortune lately? Haven’t seen you in ages.”

Wu Qingshan feigned importance and replied, “Naturally, I’ve stumbled upon a lucrative business. Not to boast, but the silver for wine is always plentiful these days.”
After a few rounds, when everyone was in high spirits, Wu Qingshan began to reveal his little secret...
Half an hour later, in the Zhao family mansion, the steward hurried to relay the latest news to Zhao He.
“Is it true?”
“Absolutely. Wu Qingshan lives next door to Jiang Chen, and it’s said his sister Wu Yue and Jiang Chen are quite taken with each other. The two families are bound to become relatives soon.”
Zhao He, who was initially indifferent, perked up at this.
“Repeat that news again!”
The steward replied immediately, “Wu Qingshan is drinking with a crowd right now. He mentioned helping Jiang Chen brew Jiangyuebai, and claimed to know the secret recipe for this fine wine!”
“The secret recipe!”
Zhao He had had designs on this for some time. He had even secretly purchased several jars of Jiangyuebai, instructing his winery’s brewers to analyze the ingredients.
But whether the brewing process was too intricate or his brewers too incompetent, they failed repeatedly to reproduce Jiangyuebai’s unique flavor.
But what if the opportunity to obtain the recipe directly presented itself?
“Hmph, who knows where that Jiang Chen found such a recipe. If we could brew Jiangyuebai ourselves, we could use our wider channels and deeper pockets to crush him and Lin Qingxuan, never letting them rise again!”
Zhao He made a swift decision: he would have people steal the secret recipe from Wu Qingshan!
Opportunity knocks but once!
Jiang Chen knew that once Zhao He made this decision, their battle of wits was over—for an opponent blinded by greed was no longer worth his attention.
Early the next morning, Wu Qingshan, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, came to find Jiang Chen and report that the plan had gone smoothly.
Those bruises were not from a sleepless night, but from a beating he had willingly endured.
“Did they get the recipe?”

“Yes. When I left the tavern with three men, they followed me. To make it easy for them, I deliberately went into a narrow alley, and sure enough, they attacked.”
Wu Qingshan spoke with a grin, rare for someone who’d just been beaten.
Jiang Chen said, “Excellent. This was the most crucial step in luring Zhao He, the old fox, into our trap. This was all thanks to you! Honestly, brother-in-law, I’ve always thought you were made for greatness.”
“You used the bitter-meat trick to fool Zhao He. I’ll be sure to credit you for this.”
Wu Qingshan basked in the praise, even boasting, “Of course! Who else would you rely on? Only I could execute this plan so perfectly.”
Before Wu Qingshan could get too carried away, Jiang Chen sent him off to tend his wounds, lest Old Wu see him and think he’d gotten into trouble again.
Zhao He had taken the bait as expected; all that remained was to give him a little time.
Jiang Chen was in high spirits, planning to buy some delicacies at the market for Wu Yue. Once he had earned enough silver, their marriage would be arranged at last.
As the saying goes, a man should cherish his own wife, care for his gentle and understanding bride, and never let her suffer the slightest grievance.
Walking through the bustling market, Jiang Chen was about to buy some date cakes when he caught a glimpse of a familiar back. Though it appeared only fleetingly at the edge of his vision, he immediately felt a warning in his heart.
“Who was that?”
Jiang Chen’s thoughts raced, and he suddenly recalled the mysterious man who once stood in the refugee ranks, wielding a Great Qian military token to shield him from harm.
Could it be him?
He couldn’t be certain—perhaps it was just an illusion.
At the date cake stall, two aunties chatted idly, mentioning how they’d recently found the corpses of cats and dogs near their homes, bloodied and abandoned in the corners.
“Oh dear, it’s frightening! Who would do such a thing? What’s the point of killing those poor animals?”